Dreaming of Daisies
by kittyblossom
Summary: By a chaotic turn of events, 15-year-old Sakura Mikan is forced to attend Alice All Boys Academy under the male identity Sakura Mitsuru; how will she survive being away from Hotaru, and, worst of all, learn to cope with her icy roommate Hyuuga Natsume?
1. In Which Mikan is a Dishcloth

**Dreaming of Daisies**

Summary: By a chaotic turn of events, 15-year-old Sakura Mikan is forced to attend Alice All Boys Academy under the male identity Sakura Mitsuru; how will she survive being away from Hotaru (who's attending the rival Alice All Girls Academy), dealing with love-struck girls, and, worst of all, coping with her icy roommate Hyuuga Natsume?

**Chapter**** One: In**** Which**** Mikan**** is**** a**** Dishcloth**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Gakuen Alice_. But I do own my Cheerios, so there. Enjoy!

--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--

"Imai Hotaru, please report to the main office immediately. Imai Hotaru, to the main office."

The static from the loudspeaker jolted fifteen-year-old Sakura Mikan's head off her desk and back into reality. _Waah_…_Hotaru? _Mikan shook her pigtails out of her eyes and peered over to her left. Hotaru was sliding her copy of _Exploring Hawking Radiation_ out from under her desk into her backpack. It was quickly followed by three jars of crab and a green pencil pouch.

"Hotaru?" Mikan hissed, glancing up at the droning math sensei. "Why're you taking your stuff?"

Hotaru turned her expressionless violet eyes towards Mikan. "Baka. Go back to sleep." She glanced down at _Algebra for Beginners_ with disgust and, after a moment's thought, stuck it under her chair. She tugged a pair of small scissors out her pocket, along with a soft green cloth pouch, and stood up. Mikan's head had returned to its resting place on the desk, but she was watching Hotaru with a small frown. Hotaru slung her backpack over her shoulder, and, before anyone knew what was happening, reached over and clipped off half of one of Mikan's pigtails.

"HOTAAARU!" screeched Mikan, now upright, looking indignantly lopsided. The class snapped awake and twisted, as one, to stare at her.

The old sensei straightened his spectacles and peered over at them. "Is there a problem, please, girls? Imai, please, were you told to go to the main office a few moments before? Sakura…being loud again, please?" He sighed. "Please leave now, Imai. Sakura, pay attention, please. Come up here and do this problem, please. Please apply the quadratic formula properly."

Mikan tugged at her sad half-pigtail and jumped up, kicking at Hotaru's heels as they both meandered up the aisle from the back of the classroom. "Hotaru, you meanie. What was that for?" she whispered angrily. "Now I have to waste my precious nap time doing this baby algebra – you taught me this when we were eight, dammit. And you haven't answered my question, and now you are going somewhere, and you haven't told me why, and you've just cleaned out all your stuff, and, and, and…" They had reached the front of the room.

"Sakura, please refrain from chatting. Goodbye please, Imai. I hope to see you again someday, please – your work is good, but I get this vibe that you never pay attention. Regardless, you are very intelligent, and I wish you luck in your future endeavors, please."

Mikan glanced between her sensei and Hotaru, who gave a little bow in front of the confused class. "Hotaru? You're leaving? For real? Why didn't you tell me?" she questioned softly.

"Here. Baka."

The door swung shut with a light click. Mikan looked down – Hotaru had pressed a small pink cloth pouch into her hand. Mikan turned it around and undid the little orange clasp. She shook out the pouch over the sensei's desk, and a clump of short raven hairs swirled down into a soft pile. Time stood still.

"Sakura? Please refrain from littering over my desk." The old man tapped wearily on the board with a piece of worn chalk. "Come here, please."

Mikan shook her head and swept the hairs back into her bag. Clutching it tightly, she looked up at the class with blazing eyes. "Gomen, sensei. I cannot do algebra right now. I hope you will understand. However, I doubt anything like that would ever happen. Excuse me." She rushed towards the door, slamming it open with an outstretched arm. She was long gone before the door shut itself.

"SAKURA, _please_! Come back here, this instance, please! Order! Class, settle down, please. PLEASE!"

--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--

Hotaru was nowhere to be found. Mikan was pretty sure the raven-haired Queen of Ice hadn't left more than three minutes before her, but the corridors of the small rural high school were deserted. Her pounding footsteps mingled with her pounding blood and the pounding screams within her. _Betrayal_. Left. Right. Through a door, out into the courtyard. _Why didn't you tell _me_ first?_ Crunching gravel, the roaring of thunder, pouring rain. Through another door. Silence. _You're my best friend! _Bursting, sopping wet, into the office compound, screaming silently. _I'm your best friend, aren't I? _There they were! The principal, Hotaru, and her mother were sitting, dry and calm, deep in discussion. Mikan tripped and stumbled through the doorway and locked her eyes onto Hotaru's back.

"Ho-ta-ru…found…you…" she gasped, clutching her side with her free hand. "What...stunt...do you think...you're pulling? I don't want a few...strands...of..."

"In that case, please kindly deposit them in the nearest waste receptacle and refrain from getting within any close range of my clothing. You. Are. Dripping. Get me wet and you die. Baka. I'm going to Tokyo and I highly doubt I will be returning anytime in the near future, though it's not like I ever liked you anyway, so I won't be missing _you_," Hotaru turned around to inspect her mother, whose conversation with the principal had been cut short by Mikan's sudden entrance. "Mama. See you soon."

"Hotaru, darling. Don't you think it would be wise to give a proper farewell?"

"Mother, as much as you admire my so-called friends, I hold not a bit of affection for any of them, least of all this soggy wet dishcloth currently standing behind us in the easterly direction. Not to mention, this town has forever stifled my creative inhibitions. It is small, and I hate it all - keeping in mind that there's not much of it to hate, of course."

"Hotaru?!"

"You probably think I am being cruel. That is not true at all." Hotaru calmly reached in her backpack for a small jar of crab and a spoon, and twisted open the lid. "In Tokyo, I hear, I will be able to obtain some of the real stuff - crab brains, you realize - not this cheap imitation. And that will not be the least bit cruel. To me. I matter the most." She blinked. And turned her head towards Mikan.

Mikan was fuming. The waves of steam rising off her body were quickly evaporating the water streaming down her clothing. "I don't know what you've done with Hotaru," she said in a small, furious voice. "But you are no longer my best friend."

The adults were rather speechless.

"You are awfully naive, Sakura-san, to think that I would even consider you my friend, let alone my _best_ friend. I will find far worthier companions in Tokyo. The Alice All Girls Academy is filled more with geniuses like me and less with idiots like you. I don't want a sniveling fool chasing me around all day, when I can surround myself with high class, intellectually-stimulating companions. Did you know some of the greatest female accomplishments trace back to the AAGA in some form or another? Of course you wouldn't. Why do I bother, right?"

"Hotaru," gasped her mother. "You might never see Mikan again! Why...are you wasting 12 years of friendship...?"

"Mother. You of all people should understand. I don't _need _people like her anymore."

Mikan turned stiffly on her heel and dropped the soggy pink pouch into the empty wastebasket.

"Sakura-san?" ventured the bespectacled principal. "Come see me after school, okay?"

"I don't see any reason to," said Mikan bitterly. "I don't need _counseling_. Or _pity_."

"Sakura-san, you will see me and that's an order!"

Hotaru dipped her spoon into the crab jar. "I would, if I were you. Seize upon all the chances for glory you have left, you know...not that you have many at all."

"_Shut up_, Imai!" Mikan yelled, whipping back around, her anger intensifying. "Principal-sama, fine! Let's pretend this is an army, okay? Sakura-private-san will obey all orders. Sakura-private-san will be humiliated for no reason! Attack Sakura-private-san! Sakura-private-san will take it all patiently and refrain from raising her voice. Sakura-private-san...Sakura-private-san..." She gasped for breath and continued in a very quiet voice, rubbing at her eyes. "I don't what's gotten into Hotaru, but this isn't like her at all. So, maybe, instead of crying, I should just remember the good Hotaru. And I love that Hotaru. She made me smile."

Mikan smiled through her tears and reached into wastebasket. "Goodbye, Hotaru. Even though you don't want me anymore, you'll still be my best friend."

The door closed softly behind her.

"Baka. Spare the cheese, will you?"

"Hotaru!"

--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--

It was almost four o'clock before Mikan let herself into the principal's office. "Principal-sama, was there something you wished to discuss with me?"

The aging brunette adjusted her glasses. "Yes, Sakura-san. Please sit down."

"I'd rather not, Principal-sama. Can you make it quick? My grandfather is waiting for me at home."

"Ah. Alright, then. Imai-san wanted me to explain the situation to you after she left. Her mother, of course, knows, bless her heart."

"There's a situation?"

"What do you think? Imai-san did not leave voluntarily, you see. Tokyo's Alice All Girls Academy. It has a long history of commissioning students, most of the times against their will, in order to collect all Alice users in one spot. It's for their own good, I believe."

"Alice user?"

"Sakura-san, have you ever noticed anything special about Imai-san? Her extraordinary inventing skills, for instance? How's she won the inventing fair, year after year? Alice users are all special. The geniuses of our age...although some have more supernatural powers, if you know what I mean - weather control, flight, x-ray vision...those are some of the more common Alices."

Mikan stood a little awkwardly. "Hoe?"

"To tell you the truth, it was I who alerted the AAGA to Hotaru's Alice. They gave her two days to get there. She doesn't have much of a choice, you see? The whole 'stunt' she was pulling earlier today, as you called it? Well, that was to make you not so clingy, you see. It worked. She was afraid you wouldn't let her go and then she would lose her resolve. She didn't actually want to leave. Rather naive of her, really. Usually Alices are found much earlier - sometimes as young as childbirth. Of course, the parents will have to part with their child...but the infant doesn't really mind, of course. It's at ages like these that it's hard to convince Alices to go."

"No way..."

"Sakura-san, now you understand?"

Mikan suddenly launched herself at the principal. "You horrible, horrible person!" she shrieked. "You took Hotaru away!" But no matter how hard Mikan pounded with her fists, she couldn't seem to get past an invisible barrier around Principal-sama.

"Sakura-san, gomennasai," Principal-sama said serenely, hardly sounding sorry. "I have a Shield Alice. It's rather useful, considering the position the AAGA is constantly putting me in. I'm an alumna of the AAGA, and now I'm also an employee. My status? Recruiting officer. Being a principal puts me in contact with many young people at once without seeming too suspicious. That's why I change jobs so frequently. Of course, I don't you think you should know this, so currently I'm considering whether or not I should call in someone with a Memory Erase Alice."

Mikan gave up and slouched into a hard, wooden seat. "Is what you're doing even legal?"

"Doesn't seem like it, does it? Well, actually, it is. The government gives the AAGA and the AABA permission to shelter Alices. It _is_ for their own good, as I told you. Kidnappers and ransoms and the like. Well. I suppose erasing your memory is tempting." Principal-sama pulled out her miniscule black cell phone and starting dialing away.

Mikan jumped up. "I don't want my memory erased, you evil woman. I've got to find Hotaru!"

Principal-sama ignored her. "Moshi moshi? It's Eimi-san. Wah, really? Good to talk to you too. May I speak with Mai-chan, now, kudasai? I know, I always say too much. It's a bad habit. Yah, the shield comes in handy all the time. Yah, I made sure the door would lock behind her. Oh, arigato. Only twenty minutes? I can wait."

Mikan frantically looked around the room. It seemed as if Principal-sama hadn't told Mai-chan or whoever was going to erase her memory what her name was. There! A heavy-looking iron paperweight. _Perhaps if Principal-sama is distracted, her shield won't be on. Anything's worth a try!_

"What! You're driving a Jaguar now? Your husband spoils you rotten! Ah...my poor wages...the AAGA doesn't pay nearly enough for this kind of work I do. I know, so I'm not in life-threatening situations or anything..."

Mikan threw the paperweight as hard as she could at Principal-sama's head. Principal-sama has looking straight at her, and did not even bother to duck.

"Saku -" _Thump._

To their very great surprise, the iron paperweight shimmered and passed through the shield to hit Principal-sama squarely on the forehead. The older woman slumped sideways onto her desk, unconscious.

The phone fell onto the floor with a crash, cracking the screen. "Eimi-chan?" came a lilting voice out of the static. "What happened? You still there?"

Mikan hesitated, wondering if she should take the phone with her or not.

"Eimi-chan? I'm coming, okay?" The static became louder.

She flipped it closed with her shoe and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Here I come, Hotaru."

--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--

**A/N: **I realize that I might've started the storyline too far in advance...I brought it back all the way to the beginning of _Gakuen Alice_. I apologize! The fun stuff will come pretty soon...Mikan in the all boy's school! I wanted it to seem realistic, so I had to mention exactly why Mikan felt the need to chase after Hotaru. And then I couldn't seem to stop! Anyway, I expect this story to be pretty long, because there are a lot of changes to the story coming up! Right now it seems to follow the original a little bit too much. Yup, basically this is the length I expect each chapter to be. Tell me if you think Mikan is a bit OOC, and how everything else is. Thanks in advance for commenting!


	2. In Which Mikan is One of Them

**Dreaming of Daisies**

**Chapter Two: In Which Mikan is One of Them**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Gakuen Alice_. But I do own my black socks, so there. Enjoy!

--..--..--..--..--..--

"Yes, ma'am, please proceed through those doors over there once you have your tickets. Have a good day," said the lady with blue jacket and the badge that said 'Hello, I'm **Hikari**! ASK ME!' She didn't sound nearly as enthusiastic as her badge.

"Hai, arigato," said Mikan absentmindedly.

Mikan boarded the train, tripping all over the place. _Waah...the third class carriage is so pretty! Hotaru, wait for it!_

The third class carriage was anything but pretty: it had a six foot ceiling, forcing many adults to bend over as they moved around, searching for their torn up seats and gum-plastered armrests.

Mikan didn't have eyes for any of this as she was pushed around and juggled through the crowd.

"HOTARU!" she yelled suddenly, lost in her imaginary conversation with would-be-grateful-Hotaru. "Mikan's coming to rescue you!"

The crowd turned to look at her.

"Gomen." Mikan settled down in Seat N7 and smiled at her neighbor. "My best friend's been kidnapped by evil old ladies with graying hair, and I've got to save her before they turn her into a inventing robot."

The old lady with graying hair Mikan was talking to gave her a strange look and turned back to her book: _Robots for Dummies._

It was a long trip. Mikan had bought the cheapest ticket, which meant the train made frequent, lengthy stops in remote, rundown villages and polluted factory towns. It was all her grandpa's fault, of course, for not giving her any money (or his blessing). Just because she had been working as a babysitter for the past two years didn't mean she had saved enough money to get to Tokyo on her own. Well, she could. But not in any comfort. Heck, she didn't even get those little packets of peanuts or plastic cups of water.

_Who cares when Hotaru's in danger!_ thought Mikan, with a little serious face that made her neighbor give her more strange looks.

It was a long trip.

--..--..--..--..--..--

Sheets of rain muted the brilliant oranges and corals and mahoganies of the setting sun. Mikan roused herself from her light nap and felt the train abruptly jolt to a stop. The old lady had already begun to collect her various bags and books, so Mikan shook her head to clear her mind of sleep.

"Welcome to Tokyo," came a crackling voice over the old intercom of the train.

_I seem to be plagued by intercom messages these past few days_, thought Mikan, stretching.

"The weather is cold and rainy. Local time: 7:46 pm. Please enjoy your stay."

Mikan shouldered her solitary backpack. _Thank you for stating the obvious. _Mikan was never in the best of moods right after waking up.

"Please ride with Origami Trains again. Thank you."

The doors slid open creakily and a wave of third-class passengers rose and surged towards the exits.

When Mikan finally stepped out of the train station, the rain had gotten heavier and the sky had lost its warm colors, settling into a deep indigo barely visible behind black, rolling clouds. Lightning flashed occasionally, followed by the deep bass of reverberating thunder. The air was chilly, and Mikan shivered in her t-shirt as she ventured into the city. Okay, so she had forgotten to bring an umbrella. And a raincoat.

Stopping underneath a makeshift shelter of a unhealthy maple, Mikan quickly pulled out her navy sweater and pulled it on over her black jeans. The wool would only get wet, she knew, but it was better being briefly warm and then wet, than briefly cold and then even colder. The color blended her into the darkness descending all around.

It was now that Mikan realized that she had little idea where to go. Tall buildings became taller as she jogged aimlessly around.

"Excuse me?"

The man in a business suit gave her a strange look and walked quickly past.

"Excuse me?"

The middle-aged lady with three little children hurried past. "Don't talk to the hobo, little ones." She shook her umbrella as they passed Mikan, showering her with more rain.

"Excuse me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Excuse me?"

At this late hour, no one seemed eager to stop to talk to Mikan, who truthfully, looked rather raggedy in her dripping sweater, with hair plastered all over her face. The more she walked, the more deserted it became. Mikan had no idea how large Tokyo actually was.

_Alice All Girls Academy...where could it be? It must be nearby! I've walked _all _this way._

She turned a corner into a deserted street. But there! Mikan planted herself firmly in front of the solitary person she came across - he looked a bit shifty, but Mikan was getting desperate - as far as she could tell, there was no one else around. The man was bald and heavyset, wearing all black leather and polyester. His nose was a sharp beak, his mouth a thin, stern line. Mikan noticed the obvious, pistol-shaped bulge in his jacket's right pocket and decided to get this over with.

"So sorry to bother you, sir, but would you please tell me where Alice All Girls Academy is?"

The man, who had looked for all the world as he was going to charge straight through Mikan, suddenly skidded to a stop.

"211!" he shouted, reaching into his pocket. "I've got one of the them!"

Before Mikan could blink, a surge - at least twenty - of identically dressed personages appeared out of various alleys and around corners to rush towards them. It was hard to tell, with the storm and the deepening night. Their pounding feet sounded surreal, slashing and splashing into the puddles. Like wind, they were upon her.

"Excuse me?"

All drew guns.

The man Mikan had spoken to stepped forward cautiously.

"Little girl," he growled. "Put down whatever it is you're holding _now. _Backpack - off. Reveal your Alice and turn around with your hands in the air." He turned around to glance at his comrades. "Procedure 211, hurry."

They rushed to surround her.

Mikan stared, and decided to risk losing her backpack. Her life...well, she needed that if she ever wanted to rescue Hotaru. All in all, she was more than a little scared and confusion clouded her actions so that she fumbled with her backpack straps a moment too long.

"Down!" roared the bald man, kicking her flat over with the heel of his heavy boot. "Alice. I'm not asking again, you little wench! The next thing that goes is your head."

"I don't have one," mumbled Mikan, wincing into the concrete. Her nose was bleeding freely. The salty drips of blood felt warm as they trickled onto her bruised lips, especially compared to the icy shower that was still assaulting her from above.

"LIAR!"

_Click._ Clack.

The bald man pressed the frigid barrel of his pistol to the base of her head. "Little girl, I don't play games. I don't care what shit your superiors have been feeding you. Either you tell me and we compromise or you die. Choices, eh? Choices, choices. You've got until five."

"Ouch, sir. I really haven't any clue."

"One."

"I'm actually just looking for my friend."

"Two."

_Who is this monster?!_

Shuffling of impatient feet. Twenty bodies pressed closer.

"Three."

"She goes to Alice All Girls -"

"Shut up! FOUR!"

"Please, sir -"

--..--..--..--..--..--

"Is that everyone? Okay, Natsume, go," said a cheerful blond teacher.

"Yes, _sir_," said the masked boy sarcastically.

He jumped.

And the wind caught him and rushed over him and flirted with him and he flipped several times - head over heels - before landing softly, invisibly, on his feet. Hyuuga Natsume glanced up at the roof of the seven-story warehouse. Several black-clad figures were already sliding down the rope the Black Cat had trailed behind him as he jumped.

Natsume sighed. _I'd rather do this alone. Nuisances._

He secured the end of the rope around a fire hydrant - old and rusty, he doubted it still worked - and dashed off without waiting for the rest of his "crew." With a leader like Narumi-sensei, how it got anything done at all was continuously a surprise to him.

_Wait, no. They've got me. Unfortunately._

It was getting darker and the trail of the _those people_ was getting fainter as he dashed along. He didn't have time to waste waiting for those imbeciles.

"Natsume!"

_God, Narumi needs to shut up. _

The Kuro Neko turned abruptly in his path.

"Natsume!"

"Shut up -" he hissed back over his shoulder. "I hear something."

"Don't speak to a teacher like that -"

Natsume skipped to a stop. He whipped around and threw a flash of fire into the air and and sent it hovering dangerously near Narumi's long, wet blond hair. It burned persistently, despite the rain.

"Shut up. Idiot."

The whole crew paused, about a hundred yards behind Natsume. They could feel he sensed something, even if Narumi was, as usual, impossible to deal with. Some teacher.

"Left."

Silently, Natsume jogged down a narrow alley and arrived a crumbling stone wall. He was attempting to peer through gaps in the stone when the rest of his team caught up.

"Um, Natsume? You've led us to a dead end."

"Narumi-_sensei_, do us all a favor and play dead. Over there in that corner, please."

Natsume deftly scaled the wall and a very strange scene greeted his masked eyes.

"THREE!" came a roaring voice out of the pattering of rain, jolting the Alice All Boys Academy Special Attention Crew Seven - also known as SAC7 or SACS - into renewed attention.

"Stuns out, Alices ready, and prepare to vault," hissed Natsume to his team members. "AAO, it looks like. I'd say about twenty, they've got some strange ritual of their own going on. We've got them outnumbered, five to four. Not bad. "

"Not so good either, we're smaller," muttered a boy as he perched near Natsume.

"Save it for Persona. Okay, count of three."

"SHUT UP!" said the angry voice from behind the wall. "FOUR!"

"Please, sir -" This voice was quiet and feminine. Desperate. Barely audible.

"Fighting amongst themselves, you think, Natsume?"

Natsume shrugged. Frankly, he didn't care. He just wanted to get this over with so he could check everything was okay - as okay as it could ever get - and go to bed.

"One, two, three. Go, guys."

SAC7 vaulted over the top, quiet black shadows landing swiftly and immediately dashing towards the cluster of bulky adults stationed two hundred yards away.

"Sir, not good!" shouted a short, impossibly skinny woman instantly. "Looks like more of the brats!"

Natsume motioned for everyone to speed up. So, it turned out they had a few observant ones.

_Who's the leader?_

That was among the first things you learned in combat training. Identify and isolate. Orders cease and enemy retreats. Hopefully.

"Troop D, aim for the man smack center. Hard to miss. He's alpha. Troop C, split up and surround. Troop A, guard D's rear and left flank. B, with me. GO!"

Natsume skidded to a stop, and B fell in place behind him as everyone else surged forward. Troop B was composed of those with mostly long distance Alices. They had done this before.

"I want you guys to aim better. Be vicious. On my count. Before they meet."

A pause.

"Three, two, one. Go, go , GO!"

Fire, ice, spirits - and who knew what else - flew in swift arcs over the heads of SAC7. Seconds passed as if they were hours.

"STOP!" Natsume screamed.

They stood at attention, not even flinching when the two groups - both dressed black as the night - clashed viciously. The AAO might have been slightly unprepared, but they were larger and had been using their Alices for far longer. They fell into a defensive formation and swiftly batted away most of Troop D before they got anywhere near the leader. Alices flashed and gunshots rang furiously.

"We need another shot at the alpha," said Natsume, grimacing. "It's not working. They're getting hurt. Okay, B, I want you guys - "

"Hyuuga-san, I think we've got a problem."

"What is it?"

"There a girl in there."

"Yeah? So?"

"I think she's the alpha."

"_What?_"

"She's our age. Obviously a traitor. Probably bribed over from AAGA. But she's center and that man, he's just a guard."

Natsume considered it, his brain working furiously. It was possible. But unlikely, really. So she was smaller and easier to hide, and obviously a genius if AAO were letting her be sheltered so much in the middle of their formation. And true, the bald, enormous man looked more brawn than brains.

"Okay, B just aim center for now, from behind. I want you clip over behind C and collect their secondary stuns as you pass. Speed, speed, speed."

They went.

"Natsume-san, that was most unkind when you left me behind. And now you are taking command. Are you just being impertinent or -"

Natsume sighed and turned. "Narumi-sensei, didn't someone tell you to go cry in a corner?"

"HYUUGA-SAN!" a boy from Troop B was waving furiously, a hundred yards away. The tide was turning and AAO members were going down swiftly. They were tiring, but SAC7 had rested well during the day. "Requesting change of plans!"

"What?" cried Narumi in a mock-hurt voice. "Aren't I in command?"

Natsume ignored him, sprinting forward and yelling new tactics at the top of his voice.

Narumi grinned. "Well, I wouldn't want to do that anyway."

--..--..--..--..--..--

Mikan had been terrified when she'd noticed more black-clad figures dashing towards her. What was this, a Tokyo cult?

But when the two groups had started fighting amongst themselves, she sighed in relief that thankfully, Bald-san had temporarily forgotten about her. He started shouted orders, and when the rain became mingled with showers of fire and ice, Mikan got up and quietly retreated behind Bald-san, using him as a human shield. What he didn't notice wouldn't hurt him.

What he didn't notice quickly became what he did notice.

"Little girl," he suddenly growled, whipping around. "I don't know how you've suddenly conjured up more of your miniature friends, but you fight for us _right now _or I kill you. His gun glinted menacingly at her.

"I dunno how to fight," said Mikan, all of sudden feeling extreme fatigue. "I'm only fifteen, and it's probably past my bedtime."

"Teenagers don't have bedtimes. You can't lie to me, little girl."

Mikan watched Bald-san panic internally. So many of his men (and women) were going down that their little circle of protection was fast shrinking. He couldn't afford to kill her (at least she could be ransom, if all else failed) and she knew it.

Mikan was a mostly clueless girl, but she could be crafty if her life depended upon it.

And it did.

"Fine, I give up. I'll fight."

Mikan glanced around Bald-san's bulk, and noticed everyone else was fighting with hands in the hair, producing strange effects. Some were levitating opponents in the air, to dash them upon the ground, others were creating haze to prevent visibility. _So everyone has an Alice, hmm..._

She raised her hands in the air, too, and pretended to concentrate.

Bald-san seemed mollified, and he turned back to the more pressing issue of firing his gun.

Less than ten seconds later, he was hit by a stun gun in the knees and went down. Knife-sharp shards of ice rained down upon his head and his gun clattered from his hand.

Mikan, seizing her chance, grabbed the gun (even though she didn't know how to use it, at least it made her look more menacing) and retreated further. But the adults were all going down now, and even though, somehow, she managed to be hit by nothing at all, she thought it was only a matter of time. These attackers seemed around her age, but they didn't look any friendlier than her captors.

"HALT!" came a cold voice from her right.

With a blaze of fire hovering in his left land, a boy with a black cat mask stepped out behind a man he had just disabled. The man slumped, moaning but immobile, and fell to the ground.

Mikan stared.

--..--..--..--..--..--

**A/N:** Yay, something exciting is happening at last! So this is different! Any questions? Everything of note will be explained in the next chapter, but if there's something you really want me to address, review and tell me! (I'll probably put it into Chapter 3.) As I was writing this, somehow Natsume and Troops A, B, C, and D reminded me of Ender giving orders to Dragon Army, in _Ender's Game _by Orson Scott Card. It's different from how I first planned it out, but I think I'm sticking mostly to schedule and the story plot line I first had in mind. Any suggestions? Thanks for reading! (And reviewing, hopefully).


	3. In Which Natsume May Be Humiliated

**Dreaming of Daisies**

**Chapter Three: In Which Natsume May Be Humiliated**

-..-..-..-..-..-

The boy was taller than Mikan by at least a head and a half. His voice was like winter, regardless of the blazing flame over his left hand. He kicked bodies carelessly aside as he advanced.

"Explain yourself, girl. If you _are_ a girl."

Despite her fear of this approaching threat, Mikan couldn't help feeling insulted nonetheless.

"Just because my best friend cut off four inches of my hair and I had to trim it to make it even, doesn't mean I'm a boy, you meanie!" Mikan stomped her foot, accidentally dropping Bald-san's gun (it wasn't like she knew how to use it, anyway) and shook her wet, shortened hair out of her eyes.

"Definitely stupid enough to be a girl. No wonder your mission failed and your cronies are all disabled. What, is the AAO getting this desperate?"

The boy in the cat mask - whoever he was - finally stopped about three feet in front of Mikan.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Mikan said stiffly, still offended and a bit more than a little terrified.

"No more games, little traitor. I think it best you just come with us quietly." The fire flared and hissed menacingly.

"Traitor? Me? I'm the victim here! Do you not have eyes? Look, I don't know who you are, but I was looking for my best friend when these thugs took me captive and -"

The boy flicked his fire irritably. "What did I say about games? Perhaps I should mention that lying is also against the rules?"

"I'm serious!"

"Sirius Black? From the Order? I doubt it."

"_What?"_

"My apologies," he said, his voice still cold. "I did say there would be no games."

Another boy, his clothing stained, made his way through the thinning crowd to the pair in the center. Instead of a mask, he was wearing a piece of black cloth under his eyes (like a ninja, thought Mikan) and was shorter by a few centimeters. The ends of his ruffled blond hair were singed, but despite his frowning countenance, his blue gray eyes were surprisingly warm. The most bizarre aspect of his appearance was perched on his shoulder: with its silver talons glistening in the dim light, the enormous osprey clicked its beak and swallowed what looked like a human finger.

Mikan felt sick, all of a sudden.

"Oi, Natsume -" he said, almost cheerfully. He seemed completely unperturbed by the violent bird. In fact, as he spoke, he reached up and stroked its dusky wings.

"Go away," Natsume replied immediately, curtly. "You shouldn't be here in the first place." He subconsciously positioned himself to shield him from Mikan.

The boy shrugged apologetically, but didn't move. "We're moving out, Narumi told me to tell you."

"We are, are we?" muttered Natsume, annoyed.

"Yes. He said, leave whoever is left and get our butts out of this place."

"Did the idiot get hurt?"

The new boy grinned sheepishly. "Yep. Hit on the head with a ice cube. Tiny. Whined for ten minutes."

"I can't leave without dealing with _this_shit," he said in a monotone, flicking fire in Mikan's direction.

Mikan shrieked and jumped back from the flame on the ground.

"Don't exclude me from the conversation and then call me poop, you meanie!"

"Is that the only insult you know?" he drawled.

"Are they sure she's the alpha?" whispered the blond boy to Natsume, albeit not very softly.

He shrugged languidly. Mikan glared.

Suddenly, Natsume sprang. In his cat-like manner, he sent a powerful stream of flame towards Mikan, who barely had time to spring to the side.

"Hey!" Mikan exclaimed, affronted and more than a little scared.

"Fight back, little girl - if you dare." And with that, Natsume morphed into full-fledged fighting mode. The blond boy automatically stepped back and had time to give Mikan a vaguely sympathetic look before disappearing back into the still fighting crowd.

"What?" yelled Mikan, ducking and weaving her way around an endless stream of fire. "Why're you attacking ME?"

"This isn't ballet, traitor," Natsume yelled back. "Are you going to use your Alice or keep running away?"

"I don't _have_ an Alice!" she wailed, wishing Hotaru would come to her rescue. A bit of fire caught her hair and the singed smell sent her into panic. "Get it off me," she squeaked, patting the flame with a sleeve. When that failed, she held it up to the sky, waiting until the icy rain put it out.

Natsume took advantage of her temporary stillness to send an especially intense burst of flame at the poor girl. Mikan had barely looked back down and stopped sighing in relief when she noticed the circle of fire, maybe about six feet in diameter and blue-hot, rushing towards her. "Hoeee!" she yelled, as it was nearly upon her and with feet firmly stuck to the ground in shock, she was too paralyzed to run away. Mikan sunk into a crouch and put both hands in front of her face, head stuffed firmly into her arms.

Mikan thought it was over, and as she quickly ran through prayers and goodbyes in her head, she failed to notice a decided absence of heat. Five seconds, ten seconds, twenty seconds passed, and finally, she raised her head. All around her was such a glow of incadescent color, like a shield, keeping the circle of flame away, and suddenly, the fire vanished in a huge column of light.

_Whoa_..._that was me... wasn't it?_

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-

Natsume stared in shock at the ring of light surrounding the crouching girl and thought furiously. _Not have an Alice, eh?_Apparently this girl was a liar to the core. He shook off his fighting mode and crouched down defensively. If she decided to attack, he wouldn't be able to fight back, not with that Alice. _What_was_that?_

A slow clap brought him out of his reverie, and he noticed that the girl had also raised her head, looking behind him to the blond teacher and a sheepish Ruka walking towards them. Apparently the fight around them had ended - a few of the SAC7 were dragging AAO bodies away, disposing of the dead. The remaining AAO had fled - except for _her_.

"Leave," he hissed, not sure who he was more irritated at. The girl was dangerous, and Narumi was an idiot for bringing Ruka here - or, Ruka was an idiot for bringing Narumi, either way. The osprey squawked.

"Calm down, Natsume," said Narumi with a chuckle. "Look at her - she's a _child_, she looks hurt, tired, confused, what have you. Have you seen anything less alpha-like?"

"She's a traitor!" Natsume raised his arm, flames flickering at his fingertips. "_We're_ children. This is _war_, and what I say goes!"

Ruka stepped up and pulled the offending arm down.

"We ran a call through to the Alice All Girl's Academy. They've never had a student who meets her description. Besides - use your common sense, Natsume," rebuked Narumi, "it's obvious she has no idea what she's doing. This is all just a little blip in your plans. For someone so smart, you can be so stupid, Neko."

The girl took one teary glance at the smiling man and ran, bawling, towards him.

"Kind man-san," she cried, hugging him around the waist and making faces from behind him at the dangerous black-haired boy. "He's so mean, he tried to burn me, he tried to kill me, he's so mean, kind man-san, he's so mean! –"

Natsume's brow was furious. That moron's wails were giving him a headache. It didn't matter who or what Narumi said she was. He wouldn't rest 'til he'd sought his revenge.

"Move out, Ruka," he spat.

-..-..-..-..-..-

**A/N:** Dead story revived! Too weird. Picking up from where I left off felt bizarre. Ah well. Enjoy.


End file.
